L.D. Williams awed crowds once again with his aerial feats and defended his Slam Dunk title over Chris Roberts during the NBA Development League Dream Factory presented by Haier. Booker Woodfox also was able to repeat in the Three-Point Shootout topping Blake Ahearn in the finals.

Join the NBA D-League.com guys for a Saturday afternoon chat about the hidden gems at Jam Session

Saturday afternoon at All-Star Weekend belongs to the NBA D-League, with the All-Star Game tipping off at 2 p.m., the Slam Dunk Contest going off at halftime and Dream Factory following the final buzzer. Watch the game live on NBA TV starting at 2 p.m., or tune to NBA Futurecast at 2:30 to watch all the action online. And, as always, you can follow live here.

But watching NBA D-League games is all about projecting the future, so let NBADLeague.com's Kevin Scheitrum and Sam Farber show you the hidden sides of all the action on the court on Saturday. Send your questions to the live chat below or Tweet at #dleagueallstar to join in!

The NBA Development League All-Star Game's made to entertain; but for the players, it's another chance to impress

The NBA Development League All-Star Game, presented by 26 Seconds, provides Prospects -- some of whom have yet to get a call-up -- a chance to get a taste of the best of NBA life.

But nothing in the NBA D-League is purely for fun. Not while guys who’ve breathed the game for two decades are this close to their dream. And, just like Showcase, the All-Star Game also gives NBA teams the luxury of having Prospects come to them. So scouts will be there, mixed in with the fans coming to see the show.

And if you're looking to pick out the next set of call-ups from the 20 All-Stars, here's how to do it.

Lyons, a 6-9, 240-pound forward out of Missouri is among the NBA D-League’s leaders in scoring (16.6 points per game) and rebounds (8.8 rebounds per game) while Andrews, a 6-9, 230-pound forward out of Bradley ranks second in the NBA D-League in field goal percentage (.650) as a member of the NBA D-League-leading D-Fenders, who currently own a 26-10 record. Johnson is averaging 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Vipers. Ehambe is the Energy’s second-leading scorer with 14.3 points per game and Hill is averaging 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Red Claws.

NBA D-League All-Stars must be on an active NBA D-League roster in order to participate in the game.

NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2012 – Twenty of the NBA Development League’s top prospects, including eight who have NBA experience, have been chosen to play in the sixth annual NBA D-League All-Star Game Presented by 26 Seconds on Saturday, Feb. 25, on Center Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session. The game will air live on NBA TV at 2 p.m. ET. Click here for the rosters

Austin Toros head coach Brad Jones and assistant coaches Taylor Jenkins and Alex Lloyd will coach the West, while Iowa Energy head coach Kevin Young and assistant Gene Cross will helm the east. Young and Cross are each making their first NBA D-League All-Star appearance, while they represent an Energy team who has sent coaches to the NBA D-League All-Star Game for the last three seasons. Jones is also making his first trip to the NBA D-League All-Star bench. Both coaching staffs were selected based on their teams having the highest winning percentages in their respective conferences through Feb. 7. Prior to the game, Jones and Young will choose starting lineups for each of their teams.

A combination of voting by the league’s 16 head coaches and fan balloting on nba.com/dleague was used to select the 20 NBA D-League All-Stars, 10 from each conference. Players who have been selected must be on an active NBA D-League roster to compete in the NBA D-League All-Star Game.

The shot clock during the game will be extended to 26 seconds in order to drive awareness to the fact that a student drops out of high school every 26 seconds in America. The goal of 26 Seconds, a State Farm Public Awareness Campaign, is to increase the high school graduation rate.

Three of this year’s NBA D-League All-Stars -- Greg Smith, Walker Russell and Lance Thomas -- are currently in the NBA after earning GATORADE Call-Ups this season. Russell, who earned his call from the Mad Ants to the Pistons on Jan. 20, is averaging 4.0 points and 2.8 assists in 19.2 minutes over 11 games for Detroit, including an NBA-career-high 12 points and six rebounds on Feb. 1 at New Jersey. Thomas, who earned his second GATORADE Call-Up of the 2011-12 season on Feb. 6, has yet to appear in a game for the Hornets.

Last season, eight of the 20 NBA D-League All-Stars who played in Los Angeles went on to earn GATORADE Call-Ups to the NBA later in the year. At the end of last season, almost one-in-four NBA players had NBA D-League experience. Over the NBA D-League All-Star Game’s five-year history, 59 of the 100 players have had, or subsequently earned, NBA experience.

“We’re thrilled to bring 20 of the NBA’s top prospects to Orlando to participate in NBA All-Star festivities,” said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. “The NBA D-League All-Star Game presented by 26 Seconds gives NBA fans an opportunity to watch future NBA players while enjoying our signature brand of exciting, fan-friendly basketball for the sixth consecutive year at NBA All-Star Jam Session.”

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Four players with NBA experience highlight the West Team’s roster, including Green, who was the NBA’s Slam Dunk Champion in 2007, before competing again in 2008. Joining Green on the West squad are fellow NBA D-Leaguers with NBA experience Thomas, Emmett, who played with the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2004-05 season, and Ahearn, who has earned two GATORADE Call-Ups to the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs, respectively.

Four members of the East Team come to the NBA D-League All-Star Game with NBA experience, including Russell, Blakely, who earned a GATORADE Call-Up to the Houston Rockets last season, Curry, who was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2007 and earned a GATORADE Call-Up from the Armor to the L.A. Clippers in 2010, and McLeod, who has seen action with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers.

Five players who went to NBA training camps in 2011 make up the West Team’s roster, including Dentmon who is averaging 22.8 points and 5.1 assists for the Toros, and Dyson, who is averaging 19.3 points and 4.3 assists for the 66ers. Both were with New Orleans during the preseason. D-Fenders teammates Millsap, who is averaging 20.5 points and 6.7 rebounds, and Green, who is averaging 18.6 points and 4.6 rebounds, each played with the L.A. Lakers during the preseason. Lewis spent the preseason with the Milwaukee Bucks and is averaging 14.3 points and 13.2 rebounds for the 66ers. Smith, who is averaging 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Vipers, and Costner, who is averaging 22.2 points and 5.3 rebounds for Los Angeles round out the West Team’s roster.

All six additional players on the East Team roster spent time in NBA training camps in 2011, including four with their NBA D-League team’s parent team. Smith, who played with the New Jersey Nets during the preseason, is averaging 17.7 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Armor; Biggs, who was with the Cleveland Cavaliers in training camp, is averaging 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Charge; Ubiles, who is averaging 20.7 points and 5.7 rebounds for Dakota, spent time with Golden State during the preseason, and Lazare, who was with the Pacers in training camp, is averaging 18.5 points and 8.0 rebounds for the Mad Ants. Additionally, Foote is averaging 14.6 points and 8.5 rebounds for Springfield, having spent training camp with the Portland Trail Blazers; and Garcia, who was with the Atlanta Hawks during the preseason, is averaging 14.9 points and 6.6 rebounds for Sioux Falls.

Tickets for NBA All-Star Jam Session can be purchased on NBA.com/allstar2012 or on Ticketmaster.com. For more information on the NBA Development League, log onto nba.com/dleague.

Dunk Contest to be held at halftime of the All-Star Game for first time ever

NEW YORK, FEB. 20, 2012 – The NBA Development League Dream Factory presented by Haier, an innovative skills competition modeled after the popular NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm, returns for the fifth consecutive year to Center Court at NBA Jam Session on Saturday, Feb. 25.

For the first time, the Dream Factory Dunk Contest presented by Haier will take place at halftime of the 2012 NBA D-League All-Star Game presented by 26 Seconds, which begins at 2pm ET, and will be broadcast live on NBA TV. The 3-Point Competition and the Shooting Stars, both also presented by Haier, will take place following the conclusion of the NBA D-League All-Star Game and will be streamed live on nba.com/futurecast.

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High-flying dunkers Zachary Andrews (Los Angeles D-Fenders), Osiris Eldridge (Bakersfield Jam), Chris Roberts (Texas Legends) and L.D. Williams (Springfield Armor) will showcase their dunking skills live on NBA TV in the Dream Factory Dunk Contest. The two-round competition allows for each player to complete two dunks in Round One, with four judges each awarding between six and 10 points for every made dunk. The two players with the highest composite scores after Round One move on to Round Two. The player with the highest composite score of the two possible dunks in Round Two is crowned the champion.

The contest features six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course, and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the champion.

A pair of 3-Point Competition champions, Booker Woodfox (Texas Legends), who won in 2011 and Blake Ahearn (Reno Bighorns), who was victorious in the event in 2009, face off against sharp shooters Moses Ehambe (Iowa Energy) and Lee Humphrey (Rio Grande Valley Vipers) in the 2012 Dream Factory 3-Point Competition. The Competition has two rounds, featuring a moveable ‘Money Rack’ consisting of all ‘Money’ balls, each worth three points. From the field of four, the two players with the highest scores will move on to Round Two and the player with the highest score in Round Two is the winner.

The greatest scorer and free-throw shooter in NBA D-League history has walked a long road

Blake Ahearn's record-breaking free throw streak is in the rear-view mirror now. Now, after years of dominating the NBA D-League and watching everyone else get the call to the NBA, the Western Conference All-Star is doing all he can to mount a return to the Show.

To raise awareness about the nation's dropout crisis, the shot clock will be extended to 26 seconds

- Sixth NBA D-League All-Star Game Will Take Place at the Orange County
Convention Center on Feb. 25 and Air Live on NBA TV --

NEW YORK/BLOOMINGTON, IL - FEB. 7, 2012 – The NBA Development League (NBA D-League) and State Farm® today announced that the 26 Seconds campaign will present the 2012 NBA D-League All-Star Game. The campaign’s goal is to increase the high school graduation rate. The shot clock during this game will be extended to 26 seconds in order to drive awareness to the fact that a student drops out of high school every 26 seconds in America.

State Farm launched the 26 Seconds campaign to address the dropout issue by empowering teens to not only be aware of this startling statistic, but to make a personal commitment to graduate. The campaign’s message to teens is to “BSEEN, BHEARD, BYOU and BMOR (be more) than this statistic.” The campaign is supported by the education community, particularly the America’s Promise Alliance, and NBA All-Star LeBron James.

For years State Farm has provided funding and corporate resources to proactively work with leading educational organizations and local communities to address the dropout problem by creating viable, sustainable solutions.

“It’s going to take all of us working together to change the dropout statistic and help young people choose to stay in school. Engaging young people as active participants in this national conversation is critically important and we’re pleased that the NBA has integrated the 26 Seconds campaign into NBA All-Star 2012,” said Edward B. Rust Jr., Chairman and CEO State Farm.

The sixth NBA D-League All-Star Game presented by 26 Seconds will take place at NBA Jam Session Center Court at the Orange County Convention Center on Saturday, Feb. 25, broadcast live on NBA TV at 2 p.m. ET. As part of presenting the 2012 NBA D-League All-Star Game, the 26 Seconds campaign will have prominent exposure throughout Center Court at the NBA All-Star Jam Session. State Farm will also present the MVP Award to the game’s most valuable player during a postgame ceremony.

“We’re very excited to work together with the 26 Seconds campaign to bring awareness, in an innovative way, to an issue that is of crucial importance for the future of our youth,” said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. “This initiative is a natural fit with our mission of development both on and off-the-court, and we're proud to use our game to deliver the message that completing high school is of the utmost importance."

Via 26 Seconds and its BMOR Project on Facebook, 26 Seconds encourages high school students to be more (BMOR) than a statistic by pledging to stay in school and offers online activities and resources. New activities and prize opportunities are launched on the 26th of each month. Students can go online to complete activities and enter to win the grand prize, an end-of-the-yyear celebration to be held in their community. Additionally, this issue and campaign are currently being promoted nationally in a TV commercial and referenced in a BoostUp.org PSA from the Ad Council.

All-Star Game, Presented by 26 Seconds
The shot clock during the game will be extended to 26 seconds in order to drive awareness to the fact that a student drops out of high school every 26 seconds in America. The goal of 26 Seconds, a State Farm Public Awareness Campaign, is to increase the high school graduation rate.